THE BONUS TO CIVIL SERVANTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3167, 18 August 1917, Page 6

THE BONUS TO CIVIL SERVANTS

It is very surprising to find members of the Government raising difficulties to the generally-expressed opinion that married men with families should receive special consideration in tho distribution of 'the proposed war bonus. Tho-Minister of. Lnteksal Affairs stated that if a. practicable scheme wcro devised by any member of the House to give effect to the suggestion he would be giad to consider it. The Prime Minister also a-ppeared to see difficulties in the way of any discrimination between single antl married members of the Service. Yet the matter really presents no material difficulties. The bonus is intended to supplement the salaries of those me-mbers of tho Public Service in receipt of less than £315 per annum because of the increased cost of living. In the Budget Sir Joseph i Ward, in referring to the matter, said : ■'There can be no doubt that those who are in receipt of fixed in-' comes by way of salary feel the pinch duo to war conditions without having tbu opportunity of adding to their incomes, and it is necessary " etc. Who is it thai finds the "real pinch of tho high cost of living duo to war conditions'! Übvionsly the married man- with a. family, and the bigger the family the harder the- pinch is. It is true ■that some single men have dependants, but it rarely happens that they ha,ve tho sarao family responsibilities as a married man with children to support. Some members of Parliament in discussing tho ma,tter very properly laid stress on-the duty of the Stato to encourage those who incur the responsibility of marriage and tho raising of a.'family- This aspect of tho question is one that should not bo lightly passed over in these days of a. declining birth-rate.